Pirate Party 3yr - Pirate Ship Cake

My youngest turned 3 this month and loves pirates so that was our theme.  I could have started planning this party a year ago because there are so many great pirate ideas to incorporate into the party.

INVITATIONS:  Hand made with stamps from my CTMH consultant.  Brown card stock purchased at Wal-Mart and folded so the card is bi-folding.  Used jute and brass brads to tie card closed.  The inside was printed with the following words, using Blackadder ITC font on deep red cardstock.  Ahoy me hearties!  Captain Shark Tooth Trace Invites ye'all  board his ship the Rusty Rose on the eighteens of January in the year of me Lord two thousand and nine.  We be boarding the Rose at Fourteen Hundred hours in  the Port of Saddle Creek, Latigo Pointe Harbor.  Ye be encouraged to come in white t-shirts and jeans, we be attending to the rest.  Wave yer flag if ye be attendin or have ye Mum send reply xxx-xxx-xxxx.  I was able to get for parts on each piece of red cardstock.  I them tore the cardstock and used walnut stain distressing ink pad to make the paper look old burnt.  I used the gold coin stamp in my set to make tons of embossed gold coins to include in the invitations.  Each child guest had a pirate name and that is how I addressed the envelopes for mailing.

DÉCOR:  I bought sons of Mardi Gras beads, play coins, play jewelry, candy jewelry, pirate items (compass, eye patches, daggers and swords) and Hershey Treasure candies.  Used black table cloths and then cover with craft paper like a table runner.  Beads and coins and other décor were strung across the tables and hung on my black wrought iron chandeliers.  I had a pirate flag in the center of tables and covered old Nike boxes with the craft paper and strips of black tape to look like treasure chests.  Lots of pirate figurines from local toy store were stung around the main floor.  I hung pirate face cutouts all around the house and made signs to designate different locations: pirates cove, the Rusty Rose, etc. The plates and napkins were pirate themed and the adults use black plates and red cups.  

FOOD:  Hotdogs with home made pirate flags stuck in each one for each child.  Gold Fish as the catch of the day, extra large black olives as cannon balls.  Root Beer and Ginger Ale were served to drink.  The hot dogs ships were so cool!  We had about 20 of them on platters and it looked like a sea of ships on my counter.   The adults were fed chili and chicken soup with cheese biscuits, saltine crackers, sour cream and cheddar cheese.  

CAKE:  Two pirate ship shaped cakes on an 18"  X24" piece of plywood.  The cake board was covered in freezer paper and that was covered with white and multi blue butter cream icing.  I used the angled blade icing knife to make swells and waves and put a dinghy with a pirate looking at a make in the dinghy.  One cake had live pirates and the other had skeleton pirates.  They were situated so that they were in battle an firing from the several cannons on each deck.  Whopper candies were stacked on each deck for cannon balls and some were pushed into the sides of the ships as if they had been hit.  Each ship had flags with the Jolly Roger or the Rusty Rose printed on them.  I made the flags from cardstock and my computer with the same font.  Then tore them and did some distressing.  Poked bamboo skewers through the top and bottom of the flags and stuck them in each ship.  I use extra wide Popsicle sticks to make a plank and put 2 of pirates on it sword fighting.  In the sides of each cake I use Pepperidge Farm Pirouette rolled wafers cut in half and hollowed out the chocolate filling so candles could be inserted.  These candles were light for my birthday boy to blow out.  On a corner of the cake I used brown sugar to make a beach and put a treasure chest in the sand as well as a pirate digging with a shovel.  I use red fruit troll ups and cut with a knife to make the dashed lines and an X to make the spot on the beach areas.  I took about 8 hours to make, baking included.  It is one of easiest cakes I've made.  When my birthday boy came in to see it he said, WOW guys, my cake is awesome.  And after he did gifts he was ready for cake so he said we should light the candles an blow up the ships.

ACTIVITIES:  When the children arrived they were suited up.  I made black vests, red and white stripped pirate sashes and bandannas for the boys.  Accessories were purchased eye patches and swords from OTC.  The birthday boy had a captain's pirate hat.  The girls were given purple and gold tulle sashes, purple bandanna, faux jeweled rings and a clip on earrings.  Then each child made a pirate medallion necklace craft from OTC.  After the dress up and craft we went to our study to Walk the Plank.  I purchased several blue plastic table clothes at the dollar store and layered them all over the floor in the study.  We had just finished building our home this summer and had an 8 foot section of 2 X 4 in the garage.  My husband placed the board on the blue table clothes and then I placed rubber sharks from OTC, and tons of jelly sea creatures from the dollars store in the water.  The children had to walk the plank to get their Treasure Chest.  If your guests are older you can raise the plank and make it more of a challenge.  Our oldest child had just turned 6 so I felt that the board on the floor was safer.  The children LOVED it and played on it over and over.  As the children began to settle down I had some coloring pages, mazes and pirate search pages for them to do.

TREASURE BOXES:  I got tons of pirate booty from OTC, Wal-Mart and the Dollar Store.  Each child received a pirate chest filled with candy jewelry, gold gum coins, a retractable dagger, pirate finger puppets, pirate punch balls, glow in the dark stars, windup pirate boats for the tub and tattoos.  The children also took they costumes and swords home with them.   Everyone had a great time.  I only wish I had gotten a photo of all the pirates and maidens together.  My neighbor's children were over to play the next day and her son had on his costume.  One of the cousins wanted to wear his to bed.  So even though I did end up going over my normal budget I know it was all worth it.